Nepali Tea and the Story Beyond

Making, smelling, and drinking this tea brings back a flood of memories for me as I think back to a trip to Nepal in 2008 to visit a close friend and brother in Christ, Shashi Bhandari.  Shashi is an indigenous missionary to his home country and founder of the Barnabas Mission of Nepal.  He and his staff work full time ministering in the villages of the 13th poorest country in the world.  Their focus is on health and sanitation education and spreading the gospel of Christ to the "untouchable" cast.  I recently received a care package from my friend, which included two bags of black tea.  Among the few words in English, the package reads "export quality."

Traveling the broken roads and walking the steep (leech infested) trails of the rural mountain and lowland villages of Nepal, I was far from the comforts of life and familiarity back in the USA.  It was as though I had stepped into another world.  Although I had previously visited the slums in Mexico and thought that experience would help prepare me for the sites and experiences which awaited on the far side of the world.  Each new day began with a stark contrast of realities and a strong cup of black Nepali tea steeped in buffalo milk over open flame on a stove made of clay.  Most of the time, the tea was served without any spice - only a few spoons of raw sugar and a piece of flat bread, called roti. 

I saw leprosy for the first time on the city streets of Nepal.  I saw the body of a young woman floating lifelessly down the flooded Rapti river after a mudslide destroyed a village during the night.  I witnessed political confusion as the passing of a monarchy made way for the hammer and sickle of a Moaist regime.  I saw a bus burned in an act of vigilante justice in the middle of a street because the driver accidentally struck a pedestrian.  I saw people worshipping idols in the very literal sense, even performing ritualistic worship of a car.  Orphaned cows roamed the streets like pigeons in search of an easy meal and monkey's crossed the street as we passed through the Nepali jungle preserve.  The electricity was touch and go most of the time and the bathrooms...well, let's just say they did have one in some of the villages.  Running water was not common.

But I took note of the amazing riches in beauty found in the wild and majestic landscape of Nepal.  The Himalaya's were so tall and grand they hardly seemed real.  The faces of the many precious children, many of whom were neglected, touched me.  They called me "uncle" and stared through the windows to look at this strange barefoot American.  I have never been greeted with such honor and hospitality in all of my life.  It humbled me to tears.  I witnessed the paradox of extreme poverty and contentment walking hand in hand.  I met people whose lives had been transformed - their sense of self worth restored because they learned that God made them in His image and was willing to die for them on a cross.  They are not untouchable but of great worth.  In the churches, they sat on dusty floors singing many familiar tunes of praise in a capella and reading from the Bible with attentiveness.  I was honored to be among such committed brothers and sisters.

It is for these reasons, I still see a story behind every cup of Nepali tea.

French Style Chicken Thigh and Oregon Pinot Noir

If you've ever read this blog, you know I'm a fan of chicken thighs.  Braised, roasted, grilled...doesn't really matter.  They're dirt cheap, easy to prepare, and absolutely delicious. 

The problem is, until you learn the secret of cooking these little jewels, they will taste fatty, possibly a little chewy, and wouldn't be a meal you'd actually look forward to, much less consider serving to guests.  But with a little proper seasoning, then searing to golden brown in a little EVOO, and then finished by roasting on 400 until virtually all traces of fat are gone (about 30-35 minutes) and the only thing that remains of the otherwise humble chicken thigh is truly a thing of beauty: a lean, juicy piece of meat with a crispy, flavorful golden crust.   And let me just tell you, I'd proudly serve this to any guest.  Exposing the bone, just so you know, is actually of little consequence but it does make the presentation much nicer and the thigh considerably easier to eat.

On a related note, I've been exploring wines from small scale vineyards producing high quality wines at a reasonable price.  Cherry Hill Winery is one such example.  They're relatively new to the scene and are located about an hour south of Portland in Oregon's Willamette Valley.  The winery is about 90 acres and as you might expect, they produce a great little Pinot Noir.  They also produce Pinot Gris, Poverty Road, and a Pinot Noir Dry Rosé, Vanda.  Check it out if you're a fan of Oregan Pinot.  Scale of 1-10 with 10 being best, I'd say this wine is about an 8 at the $20-25 price point.

Cocktails & Martinis

If truth be told, I think I enjoy making cocktails more than drinking them. They are both classy and artistic in appearance, which appeals to the creative side of enjoying a responsible drink. The Martini is one of my favorite cocktails. There are perhaps millions of variations, but I tend to like just about any martini with a lemon rind. Here is a non-traditional variation using fresh pear juice, Absolute vodka, and just a tiny squeeze of lemon. Shake or stir about 30 seconds. Top it off with a small lemon rind and a wedge of fresh pineapple for a sharp tropical twist.

Blueberry Wine Divine

First, let me just say taking pictures of wine is not as easy as it sounds - this picture is trying to show the color and clarity of this wine, which is still extremely young as far as aging is concerned. So far, I am pleased with the fact that it is bright and crystal clear. It also has a nice deep color. The taste is a bit harsh still simply due to the boost in tannin imparted by the oak aging. This will mellow out significantly in the next six to eight months during bulk aging and even more over a number of years. Tannin helps preserve the wine and adds to it's complexity. Once bulk aging is complete, prior to bottling, I will taste to determine if the wine should be sweetened. If so, a simple syrup will be made and added to reach the desired sweetness and the wine racked a final time after resting another two weeks. Then, it's time to pull out the floor corker.

This picture is trying to show the "legs" of the wine. While many mistake this for being indicative of a good wine, it is merely a phenomenon that occurs due to the evaporation rate of the alcohol in contrast with the water. What this often says is the wine has a potentially high alcohol content - which it does at approx 13.5 - 14%

Another picture in my futile attempt to capture the color of this wine. Anyhow, it will be a while before I can provide another update on the progress of this wine, but when I do, it should be oh, so good! Until, then I will just have to sip from another bottle.